Blue Collar whiskey

Seems that a lot around here move toward the more high end bourbons. But what is your "blue collar" bourbon? Something that is not terribly expensive, but not terrible in itself either. Good ol' Jim Beam white does it for me. Although I picked up a bottle of Old Crow, and it really wasn't all THAT bad. Granted the flavor did not have much of a snap to it, but on ice on the back porch on a 90 degree night, it really wasn't that objectionable.

Seems that a lot around here move toward the more high end bourbons. But what is your "blue collar" bourbon? Something that is not terribly expensive, but not terrible in itself either. Good ol' Jim Beam white does it for me. Although I picked up a bottle of Old Crow, and it really wasn't all THAT bad. Granted the flavor did not have much of a snap to it, but on ice on the back porch on a 90 degree night, it really wasn't that objectionable.

I have been trying to get around to Old Crow, but haven't yet. There is a bourbon here called Rolling K which I think is a slightly better version of Old Crow. I used to drink it once in a while years ago. Ought to give it another try.

Hey Bill, What a great question! In a time of ever increasing prices it is very prudent to look for affordability in our favorite bottles. I too have had recent motives for pinching pennies. Here are a few of my budget bourbons: Henry McKenna, J. W. Dant BiB, Tom Moore BiB, Private Cellar 90, and Walkers DeLuxe 80 (which is getting scarce in Austin).
Give these a try all are very easy on the wallet.
jeff mo.

Let's keep the price limit in the $10 to $15 range; though the bottle of Old Crow cost me $9.49; it more than qualifies. As for the Old Overholt, I've got a bottle of that, too, and I really enjoy it. I think I picked that up for $10.99.

My favorite in this price range is the Very Old Barton (90 is the one I can get, right at $10). But a lot of the "base bourbons" push $15 around here; JB White, Old Charter 8, Old Forester, OGD 86, etc. And if I'm looking to do that, I think about going just a bit more to something like OC 12 or OGD BIB, which are still under $20; it's around there where the taste/$ equation starts to hit a real sweet spot. I really don't consume all that much, but if I did, I imagine I'd pick up the VOB in the 1.75 liter.
Bob

To get in the spirit of the question, first I must set aside the fact that in my working days I knew skilled craftsmen who made more money than I did with my degrees and a closet full of white shirts.

I think I'd distinguish between "every day blue collar" and "special treat blue collar". Depending upon prices in a given locale I'd set the upper limit for the former at around $12-15 and the latter at $15-18.

So far my favorite in the every day category is Ten High. To my taste it is much better than Jim Beam white label or Old Overholt (rye), which isn't readily available in my small town anyway. A close second would be Evan Williams 7 y/o; a 1.75 can be had without exceeding my every day limit for a 750. I've not tried the EW 1783, which Binny's lists at $10.99. They also list Ancient Ancient Age 10 y/o at $13.99. If AAA 10 y/o were available to me here, it would easily displace Ten High at the top of the heap even though it costs $5 more. However, adding in shipping cost (if that's still possible) bumps it into my higher category even with a case purchase.

After much waffling I find that I am not a fan of Old Forester 100 ($15.99). That's too bad because it's available here, albeit at a higher cost.

My special treat bourbon, when I can catch it on sale at Safeway (frequently under $30 for a 1.75), would be Wild Turkey 101. Another possibility is Jim Beam black label, which my local Liquor Barn (more like a Liquor Coop, really ) sometimes reduces to $17.99. Hi Time's regular price is $16.99, but now it's on sale there for $12.99. At the sale price it would be a contender for top dog in the every day category.

Back in southern California other choices were often available (and prices were lower than here). One is Old Fitzgerald 1849 ($15.99 at Binny's in Chicago), which I remember liking better than the BIB at the same price. Another is Weller 12 y/o ($16.99), which might be a little too smooth and too sweet to fit the blue-collar image. One that I've waffled on is Elijah Craig 12 y/o ($17.99 at Hi Time, but much higher here); its flavor profile, which I think varies more than it should, might be a little too outside the mainstream to qualify as blue-collar.

Thanks for giving me an interesting exercise. Recent budget discussions at my house make this topic a timely one for me.